HTML5

It's fair to say that it takes a pretty special feature-phone to get us excited these days, but the LG Mini GD880 may manage to tick a few boxes. Announced back in February, the GD880's primary claim to fame - aside from its slimline build - is the HTML5-compliant Webkit based LG Phantom Browser, which supports Flash and up to 10 simultaneous windows viewed on the 3.2-inch touchscreen.

The comparative benefits of HTML5 and Flash are still being argued, but thanks to a team of three Google engineers we can mark another point up to the HTML5 side. They've managed to port Quake II's game engine over to HTML5, so that you can play it completely within the browser. The end result is 30fps gaming complete with file saving and multiplayer support.

No shock and awe here. Apple's offensive on Flash Player continues, and this time they've created a website that details exactly which sites have joined the foray. It's a nice site, sure, but we're wondering if this kind of thing is all that necessary. After all, the general rule of thumb is that people are going to browse the Internet to whichever site they want. No Flash Player, or Flash Player, probably won't change any of that. (Outside of the video streaming sites, of course.) But, that's not stopping them, so here's the list after the break.

The comparative merits of Flash 10.1 and HTML5 are a hot topic right now, given the imminent arrival of the Flash-free iPad, and Adobe are doing their best to point out that their system isn't quite as passé as some analysts would have you believe. Flash evangelist Michaël Chaize has been comparing Flash 10.1 performance on his Google Nexus One with HTML5, and the Adobe technology still comes out ahead.

We may have been looking to MIX10 for its juicy Windows Phone 7 series tidbits - and have you seen our demo videos of the latest apps and functionality? - but smartphones aren't the only think Microsoft want to talk to developers about. Today has been Internet Explorer 9's turn to take to the stage, with the focus on hardware-accelerated HTML5, a new JavaScript engine and Direct 2D technology.

The tide looks like it may be turning on Flash. With Apple's continued resistance to adding support for the Adobe system to their smartphone, PMP and upcoming tablet line-up, website developers seem to be scaling back their use of the technology so as to maintain accessibility across as many devices as possible. Virgin America are the latest big-name company to bypass Flash and choose basic HTML for their new site, telling The Register that the older standard was "good enough" for their requirements.

If Google can't get Google Voice onto the iPhone via the App Store, then they're just going to go the long way instead and get in there via the browser. The search giant has just announced a new, web-based version of Google Voice that allows users to access the VoIP service via their smartphone browser. Coded with the magic of HTML5, the nippy app works with the iPhone and webOS devices like the Palm Pre, and supports calling, voicemail access and SMS.

Right now, Palm's Pre isn't quite a gaming powerhouse. Actually, it's not at all, and for a lot of people, that's something they wish would be alleviated, and soon. When a phone like the Pre releases in the market against the likes of the iPhone, it's almost essential that the Pre's media abilities come shining through at some point. And it looks like Palm is setting up to show that the Pre is capable of gaming, too. Or, something pretty close.

If Palm thought they could seize the Pre spotlight with their Google I/O demo, they were sadly disappointed. As well as their official HTML5 demo we've also seen the results of the Pre's 3-megapixel autofocus camera, courtesy of both Palm themselves and one of the company's Lead Software engineers.